Qhubeka is an Nguni word that means “to carry on”, “to progress”, “to move forward”. Qhubeka is World Bicycle Relief’s program in South Africa. World Bicycle Relief is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing education, health and economic opportunities by providing simple, sustainable transportation.
Since World Bicycle Relief’s founding in 2005, it has delivered more than 220,000 specially designed, locally assembled bicycles to people in need.
Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung was founded in 2007, steadily working its way up from a regional team to now being a Continental Pro team with bases in South Africa and Italy. MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung’s goal is to give talented African riders a path into the pro peloton while raising funds for Qhubeka.
The partnership between MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung and Qhubeka is a unique one. Qhubeka does not provide funding to the team rather the team uses their platform to raise awareness and funds for the nn-profit.
In 2015, MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung are inviting you to help them mobilise 5,000 kids on bicycles. To contribute to the #BicyclesChangeLives Campaign, click here.
Fast Facts
Research indicates that 11 million out of a possible 17 million students in South Africa walk to school, with ‘walking all the way’ being the primary means of travel. Of students walking to school, half a million walk for more than an hour– up to 6 km each way–thus impact-ing concentration and learning ability. Over 60% of students who walk to school in South Africa are in the lowest income group and rural students (8.1%) are more likely than urban (3%) or metropolitan (2.7%) students to walk more than 60 minutes to school. The challenge of distance results in increased tardiness, frequent absenteeism, exhaustion and often the complete withdrawal of the child from the education system.
Volunteers and Partners
Qhubeka is a volunteer organisation. Qhubeka is governed by a board of directors who are executives mainly from a commercial background and who give of their time without financial consideration. Technical input into design and component sourcing is provided by the technical expertise of World Bicycle Relief.
Project
A nation’s greatest resource for solving critical national issues in areas of national concern is in its talented and educated children. Unless the children are able to complete basic education during their development in elementary and secondary school years, their potential to assist the nation’s future hangs in the balance. One predominant reason for children not being able to access school in rural areas is the consequence of distance which discourages regular attendance and lower performance.
Qhubeka distributes bicycles to students, teachers and school volunteers to improve access to education, reduce travel time and improve educational outcomes. Students earn bicycles through study-to-own contracts. In the short term, bicycles reduce children’s exhaustion from walking to school and help them attend regularly. In the long term, bicycles will help children complete their education, preparing them for better jobs and reducing likelihood of extreme poverty.
Key program outcomes include:
- increased attendance of vulnerable children
- improved performance
- improved retention
- better livelihoods of bicycle beneficiaries and their families
- and improved safety and security of students traveling from and to school.
The cost of one bicycle for this program in South Africa is R2,250.00 and includes: component manufacturing, shipping, duty, tax, assembly, delivery, helmets, field visits, field mechanic training, monitoring and evaluation.
If you would like to donate a bicycle to Qhubeka’s Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme through their secure donations portal, Given Gain click here.
Find out more at qhubeka.org.
